OVER $41K IN NON-CASH PRIZES AND STORE CREDIT!!

ALL PARTICIPANTS GET $370 WORTH OF PRIZES FOR JUST SIGNING UP!!

WHAT IS AWAIKEN HACKS?

Are you passionate about technology and eager to explore the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Do you belong to a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) or underserved community, or are you a beginner looking for opportunities to harness the power of AI? Look no further! Awaiken presents the Empowerment Hackathon: Bridging the AI Divide, a transformative event that welcomes individuals from diverse backgrounds and skill levels to embark on a journey of innovation and learning. This is the first year of Awaiken Hacks, in which each participant will identify a prevalent issue faced by BIPOC and underserved communities and develop a creative and practical solution. Awaiken Hacks is split into three sectors: Ideathon, Novice Hackathon, and Advanced Hackathon.

ABOUT AWAIKEN

Awaiken is an student-run education initiative committed to Empowering Vulnerable Communities in the AI Era. We believe that AI should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or expertise. Our mission is to bridge the digital divide and ensure that BIPOC and underserved communities have the knowledge and tools to thrive in the AI-powered world.

WHICH SECTOR IS BEST FOR ME?

Ideathon: The Ideathon provides students with the opportunity to showcase and present their ideas. Judging will be based on creativity, effectiveness, feasibility and presentation. Novice: The Novice hackathon is intended for new programmers with less than a year of experience in programming, but are still interested in implementing their ideas. Submissions are expected to be a working prototype. Judging will be based on creativity, implementation, and presentation. Advanced: The Advanced hackathon is for experienced programmers with 1 or more years of experience in programming. Submissions are expected to be a final working product. The advanced hackathon has a larger prize pool due to the elevated expectations. Judging will be based on creativity, implementation, and presentation.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

If interested in sponsoring this hackathon, please email ali.akm.tx@gmail.com with more information!

JUDGING APPLICATIONS

Feel free to send us an email(ali.akm.tx@gmail.com) if you're interested in being a judge for this hackathon. Please include your resume and any relevant information if interested.

Requirements

WHAT TO BUILD

Participants in the Young Youth Innovators Hackathon Fall 2023 are required to build a working prototype or solution (such as website, app, product, etc.) that addresses a specific challenge in one of the following categories:

BIPOC
Education
Underrepresented Communities
Social Justice

Participants should use their skills and creativity to develop innovative solutions that have the potential to make a positive impact in their communities and beyond. We encourage participants to think outside the box and push the boundaries of what is possible.

What to Submit:

Participants should submit their projects on Devpost, including the following:

A short video demo of their solution (up to 3 minutes in length)
A written description of the project, including the challenge it addresses, the intended audience, and how the solution was developed. Be sure to include any relevant data, such as market research, user testing, or feedback from experts
A pitch deck (maximum 10 slides) that outlines the problem you're addressing, your solution, and its potential impact. Be sure to include any relevant data, such as market research, user testing, or feedback from experts

The submission should be clear, concise, and provide a thorough explanation of the solution developed by the team. Participants are also encouraged to include any additional information or resources that may help the judges understand and evaluate their project.

We recommend that participants review the submission requirements carefully and ensure that all necessary information is included in their submission. Good luck to all participants, and we look forward to seeing the innovative solutions developed in this hackathon!

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$63,000 in prizes

Ideathon Winner Certificate (3)

1 Year Wolfram|One Personal Edition + Wolfram|Alpha Pro ($375)
$25 AoPS online coupon
Axure RP Team Edition
[1 Teammate Randomly Picked]
Interview Cake Course
Algoverse Credit 1st place: $400
Algoverse Credit 2nt place: $200
Algoverse Credit 3rd place: $100

Intermediate Winner Certificate (3)

Advanced Winner Certificate (3)

1 Year Wolfram|One Personal Edition + Wolfram|Alpha Pro ($375)
1-Year .xyz domain ($9)
1-year subscription licenses of Axure RP Team Edition
$25 AoPS online coupon
Axure RP Team Edition
[1 Teammate Randomly Picked]
Interview Cake Course
$45 Desmos Swag Pack
Algoverse Credit 1st place: $400
Algoverse Credit 2nt place: $200
Algoverse Credit 3rd place: $100

All Participants

Interview Cake $250 Full Course Membership
Echo3D $99 Credit
25 Random Members: Year of Wolfram|One Personal Edition+ one-year subscription to Wolfram|Alpha Pro: 370$ Membership
Balsamiq 90 day trial

Judges

Executive Team & More
Awaiken

Sumedha Rai
ML Data Scientist @ NYU

Marcus Ma
AI @ GeorgiaTech

Irfan Mansuri
SWE at Qualcomm

Karan Gupta
Senior Data Scientist @ SunPower Corporation

Kevin Zhu
UC Berkeley :Lecturer / Founder of Algoverse

Vladislav Bilay
Cloud DevOps @ Aquiva Labs

Pranav Pawar
MS AI @ Northwestern

Murat Akyuz
Digital Marketing Specialist @ Jetson

Jigyasa Grover
10x Award Winner in AI and Open Source • Book Author 'Sculpting Data'

Judging Criteria

Real-World Application
Does the hack solve a real problem or have practical applicability?
Innovation
How unique and creative is the hack? Does it provide an innovative solution to a problem or introduce a new concept?
Presentation
How effective and compelling was the presentation and demo? Was the concept clearly communicated?
Cultural Responsiveness and Inclusivity
To what extent does the hack consider the needs, perspectives, and experiences of underrepresented groups, especially BIPOC? Does it aim to address systemic inequities?
Technical Complexity - Advanced ONLY
How difficult was the hack to implement from a technical perspective? Does it demonstrate strong technical skills?
Polish/Completion - Advanced ONLY
How refined and complete is the implementation? Is it consumer-ready?